A Coptic Illusion

By Carrie Devorah

Most people know
New Jersey
as Frank Sinatra’s home state or a place one drives through on the
Interstate. Long linked to Tony Soprano types and the big “M” the
Garden
State
was overcoming their Family reputation. Then Saturday happened, Sylvia’s
birthday.

Police interrupted a private party at 4:00am, not for too much noise but
lack of it. A “religious family with no enemies” appears to have had
few close friends. They lay in their own blood for days before being
found hog tied, slaughtered ritualistically, their necks slashed top to
bottom. Father. Mother. Two daughters. Emad Fahmy, a relative, said
"They have no enemies” The sweet 16 birthday girl’s great-uncle
Milad Garas identified Sylvia by a tattoo on her wrist, her face battered
beyond recognition. Burglary wasn’t the motive for the 1997 emigrants’
murder, relatives said. The blue collar family’s gold was stolen last
year.

50 mourners, maybe, attended their funeral.

Outwardly, they were regular people. Their life style wasn’t lavish. You
read about their daughters in community bulletins not headlines. 8 year
old Monica, the youngest, a third grader at PS 6, sang in the church
choir. The mother, 36 year old Amal, a letter carrier for the
United States
Post office, provided their family’s income stability with government
benefits and promise of pensions. Hossam the dad, a catering hall server,
achieved
America
’s dream. Four years ago, November 2000, he bought a house for $96,500,
according to one newspaper. 16 year old Sylvia, cast regularly in
Dickenson
High School
’s plays shared her father’s platform on the world stage of Islamic
politics. They were outspoken.

New Jersey
, promoting itself as “the getaway state” with sandy beaches and
lighthouses decorating postcards sold at truck stops, had been discovered
as a hideaway for runaways from religious persecution in Muslim countries.
Like the Hossam Armanious family. Now, the whole world was discovering,
through the Armanious massacre, Coptics’ political quest for religious
salvation from Muslim hatred. Hossam and his family, active members of the
St. George & St. Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Christian congregation
Church, were Egyptian Coptics. Months earlier, Elizabeth Goldhirsh a
New York
writer described neighboring
New York
's community of Coptics, Egyptian Christians, as vibrant “truly one of
its hidden cultural treasures.” Few people knew about the Armanious’,
off line that is. Church deacon Fred Ayed knew Hossam thirty years back
from
Egypt
. In the virtual world of the Internet, Hossam was as open with his Coptic
Christian beliefs as he was in
Egypt
before moving to
America
. “A most outspoken Christian” reputed for fiery dialogue with Muslims
on paltalk.com, a Muslim website, Hossam regularly debated religion in the
Middle Eastern chat room, espousing his Coptic beliefs. While zipcodes
change, rarely do people’s politics. Rumor has it a fatwa, edict for
death, was ordered on Hossam before he moved to
America
. The New York Post reported Hossam “was threatened for making
anti-Muslim remarks online.” Another Middle Easterner reported one
online exchange. Hossam was told, "You'd better stop this bull---- or
we are going to track you down like a chicken and kill you.” Hossam
wrongly interpreted
America
’s Freedom of Religion guaranteed his Freedom of _Expression and offline
anonymity.

On the record, Jersey City Mayor Jeremiah Healy told reporters."
Whoever is responsible for this horror will be brought to justice."
Jersey City Police Chief Robert Troy acknowledged "They probably knew
their killers." A “former disgruntled tenant is being sought”.
Off the record, the FBI was called in. Immediately.

Coptic Reverend Makarious wants Coptic youth growing up American “to
know where they came from." Sylvia’s friend at Dickenson HS,
Jessica Cimino, said Sylvia knew. "She was very religious and very
opinionated.” Sylvia tattooed a Coptic Cross on her wrist. It, too, was
viciously slashed. Coptology began after the Arab conquest of
Egypt
, 641 AD. Coptologists, descended from Egyptians, refused to convert
to Islam when it first arrived 7th Century, in their country. They were
named Gypt” after an Egyptian God, from the Greek word
Egyptos
,
Egypt
. Coptic was
Egypt
’s native language before Arabic prevailed. Copts and Muslim compatriots
banded together in the 19th and 20th century to revolt against British
rule, post WWI, to defeat Islam’s
Ottoman Empire
. Coptics were subject to a Hamayouni decree forbidding Coptology.

The Muslim Brothers, a militant fundamentalist Islamic group, was started
in the 1920’s, along with other societies for Muslim Youth, resisting
Western influence, and supporting violence against Copts. By the 50’s,
Egypt
’s President Nasser promoted the Muslim Brothers teachings. Copts
immigrated out of the Middle East to countries such as the
USA
,
Canada
, and
Australia
. So did Coptic hatred.

In the 1980’s, Islamic militants increased violent attacks on Egyptian
Copts, western tourists, sacking and burning Coptic churches and
businesses. They demanded civil laws be changed to Islam’s Sharia code
Copts say deprive non-Muslims of equal rights. In the 90’s, attacks on
Copts further escalated along with forced Islamization. By 2000, more
Coptic homes, businesses were destroyed. When Islamics demolished a Church
in Southern Egypt’s
village
of
Al Kosheh
, 21 Copts were murdered and martyred.

Dr. Daniel Pipes, at the first International Coptic conference, said Islam
”the new global enemy of civilization” must be fought by Muslims and
non-Muslims alike. Pipes says Islamists want it made very clear Christians
in countries with a Muslim majority are unwelcome. He says Copts
outside Egypt speak up because Copts inside Egypt, a minority with
“dwindling rights, trapped in poverty, uncertainty, despised and
distrusted as second class citizens, often victims of brutality, facing
discrimination in education, jobs, from police and the courts” do not
have that freedom. Pipes says Christian exodus for a better life in the
West will continue to places like
New Jersey
. As did the Hossam Armanious family. And their enemy who slaughtered them
like cows.

The US Senate and State Department surveys of worldwide religious and
Christians persecutions reveal Copt communities are demanding abolishment
of the 19th century Hamayouni decree requiring Copts to seek permission
from the President of Egypt to repair even toilets in Churches. Mosques
are built in
Egypt
without restriction. Copts protest government control over their radio and
TV broadcasts,
Egypt
’s Ministry of Islamic affairs refusal to return their Church trust
lands, religious affiliation on their national ID cards, denigrating
references to Christians in school curriculums, Government controlled
media labeling Christians infidels and propagating attacks against Copts.

Author Oriana Fallaci wrote “Christianity’s ancient stronghold is
giving away rapidly to Islam.” Today,
Bethlehem
and
Nazareth
, once Christian majority populations, are now majority Muslim towns. The
Christian population in
Jerusalem
is 2% barely. Muslims are targeting Iraqi Copts with terrorist bombing
murders similar terrorist attacks targeting Israeli citizens. Pipe
projects a dangerous decline in Middle East’s Christian population point
“their cultural vitality and political significance” disappearing,
raising curiosity over legitimacy of
America
’s war in
Iraq
being a war against terrorism or a war to preserve Christianity. “Die
Welt,” Islamic scholar Bernhard Lewis said “
Europe
will be Islamic by the end of this century, Europa wird am Ende des
Jahrhunderts islamisch sein.”

There are 10.5 million global Copts, 9 million in
Egypt
, 500,000 concentrated in
New Jersey
and
California
, with 10,000 living in
New York City
.

A 56-year-old doctor who emigrated from
Egypt
25 years ago says Copts bond because they were a small Christian group in
Egypt
fearing walking down streets risking attack by Muslims for wearing a
cross. Coptic Reverend Makarious agrees the bond keeps Copts close.
18-year-old
New York
college senior Chris Roufaeil says Copts are discriminated against
by their name or when Muslims “come right out and ask whether you're
Christian." Roufaeil doesn’t like that people lump everyone from
the
Middle East
together." He says there are differences between Arabs. Copts support
Israel
's right to exist as a Jewish State, their own homeland.” Another Copt
said, "The only place with any freedom in the Middle East is
Israel
."

Grassroots unity organizers for Copt communities regularly exchange ideas
on “organizing presence at national and local levels of government” by
fundraising to hire lobbyists to promote Coptic issues with US policy
makers so they are not “ignored by US policy makers.” Coptic
activists encourage holding seminars, publishing materials and starting
Coptic sections inside libraries of universities and colleges, the hotbed
for pro-Palestinian sentiment in
Canada
, Europe and the
USA
. Their goal is to nurture future Coptic communities, political leaders
and assist new Copts in
America
. One Copt website said, “we in DC are considered a friendly city, since
we offer free housing for new comers and help them get a bank account,
drivers license, rent them an apartment and help them get a job, etc.”

It was early spring when a Middle Eastern Christian Arab drove the sedan
taking me to
Dulles
Airport
, en-route to
Denver
to speak against terrorism. He shared that his fiancé, a Christian, was
killed by Muslims in a car bombing in
Egypt
. Reading about the Armanious family fate, I realized the price of the
Armanious family bloodbath is a Coptical illusion things aren’t always
what they seem to be. Even in
Jersey
.

BIO: Carrie Devorah is an award
winning investigative photojournalist based in
Washington
DC
. Her family are the first Canadians to lose a member to a terrorist bus
bombing in
Jerusalem
. Devorah is a certified crime information analyst and profiler. January
16, 2005 is the Hebrew first anniversary date of her brother’s murder on
Azza Street
in
Jerusalem
.